FIG. 1 illustrates an example of fall restraint equipment 100 comprising a stairwell 102, a platform 104, handrails 106, and a gangway 108. Stairwell 102 ascends to platform 104, where gangway 108 is connected. An optional cage 110 may be connected to gangway 108 if desired. Handrails 106 are located on the sides of platform 104 that are not connected to either gangway 108 or stairwell 102 in order to prevent a user from proceeding in a direction from the platform that does not lead to the gangway or the stairwell. In this example, the fall restraint equipment provides a user with access to a top 112 of a container 114 (such as a railway car).
Referring to FIG. 2, handrail 106 is typically manufactured by cutting or drilling stock materials into a desired size and then welding the cut pieces together. For instance, side beams 200 and cross beams 202 are cut from tubular pieces of steel. Cross beams 202 are welded to side beams 200 denoted by welds 204. In this example, beams 200 and 202 are welded at areas 204 wherever the beams intersect. Because the stock materials are typically not designed for the intended use of the pieces, they must be drilled or cut to match the specifications of the pieces' end use. Manufacturing a handrail, such as handrail 22, in this manner is both time-consuming and costly. Additionally, the drilling and cutting of the stock material must be accomplished with precision in order to create a stable end product. Variances greater than an acceptable level render the smaller pieces unusable, which are typically discarded as they often are unusable in another product once they have been drilled or cut. Additionally, if other parts cannot be cut or drilled from the remaining portions of the stock materials, they too are discarded. This also increases the costs associated with manufacturing the end product, such as handrails 106.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention.